Recent reviews by lostempyrean

I don’t think it’s an understatement to call Elden Ring one of the best games ever made. Easily eclipses all of FROM’s previous titles, unless Bloodborne gets a 60fps PC port, and will likely overshadow games media for the next decade. Dark Souls of x being the crutch of many poor games journalists will now become Elden Ring of x. Much like how Dark Souls spawned an entire genre of game based around stamina, bosses, punishing combat and difficulty, I expect Elden Ring to cause a multitude of changes in open-world games that are made over the next decade. So many design choices in this game dwarf countless open-world titles that came before it, so much so that I can’t really see myself playing another in quite some time.

Combat is easily the best in the series, iterating and improving on Dark Souls III’s fast paced action combat and adding features from past titles; Sekiro’s jumping and stealth, Dark Souls 2’s power stancing, Bloodborne’s visceral attacks and new additions to the combat system such as: great runes, mounted combat, ashes of war, and increased combo animations. The toolbox for combat encounters has never been bigger, refreshing, or more interesting. A knowledgeable player or souls vet won’t struggle with this game as long as they take advantage of the bevy of systems that allow one to make the game easier, while a newer player unfamiliar with the systems will likely struggle at first. It’s simultaneously the hardest game in the series and the easiest. There are many bosses that can stonewall you for hours, but you also have the option to simply walk away. A lot of players will slam their head against Margit for hours, not realizing that simply exploring the zone around him for the same time would make the fight vastly easier.

In summary, Elden Ring is likely going to be FROM’s crowing achievement, and best success for years to come. Expect it to sweep every awards show, for games journalists to not shut the ♥♥♥♥ up about it, and for people you’re friends with to not stop playing it. Every time I started playing this game, I’d easily lose at least 6 hours in a sitting, just enraptured in the game world, unable to stop exploring. I’m a few achievement away from 100% the game, making it the first game I’ve ever done that for. 11/10, deserves all the praise it’s getting.

Giving it a yes but my real thoughts are extremely mixed. Gunplay and art direction are phenomenal, exactly what you would expect out of an Arkane game, music was great, general moment to moment gameplay and movement is satisfying. However, as of September 23rd 2021, performance on PC remains poor. In my last play session to end the game, lasting about 6 hours, I crashed 4 separate times, once on the final stage of the game, resetting me to the start of said stage, thankfully not the start of the loop. The story is engaging but ultimately rang hollow, don't see many people talking about this in the future outside of remembering the concept of an FPS time-loop mystery game. Netcode for online play is utterly laughable, making me instantly turn off the online invasion aspect. After nearly 20 hours of gameplay, with another couple to check off loose ends, I can say that the game is above average, probably a 7.5/10. Would recommend to any Arkane fan that enjoys their games, or to anyone interested in the time-loop aspect. For anyone else I would suggest buying at a reduced price, or playing a friends copy, because there is no way in hell this game is a 10/10 or masterpiece in any way. Don't go in expecting DIshonored.

DId two runs of the early access content available, first on release up to about 15 hours, and a second on patch 3 completing every quest and reaching the ending of early access content. Has the promise of other good Larian games, but hard to recommend a $60 early access game that's as buggy as Skyrim. Tons of audio bugs, visual bugs, quest bugs, physics bugs. On my second run I played as a Tiefling and my tail was bugged more often than not, colliding with my character and warping around him. Great music, standard Larian writing, and some likeable characters. Combat feels much better than Divinity 2, fights don't devolve into spamming water or oil and electrocuting or burning them. Hopefully the full release is soon and isn't nearly as buggy.

Phenomenal game that improves upon nearly every aspect of Doom(2016). Gameplay is fluid and intense, music is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ amazing, story was interesting and had a reveal that left my mouth agape. My only negative was the marauders, whoever at ID thought they were a fun enemy deserves to have their testicles crushed like grapes. Easily a 96/100, recommend to anyone that wants to feel like Alex Jones on his pills.

a mindblowing mind♥♥♥♥ that feels like if hotline miami had a baby with blade runner/metal gear solid. Phenomenal gameplay, music and story. extremely good value with amazing replay-value.

play it now

Phenomenal game but the port ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sucks. If you have a PS4, I HIGHLY recommend you play it on there instead

Play it you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ dweeb

I love this game so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ much. I expected it to be an average Gaiden esque game and was blown away by it. Not only did The Messenger have amazing level design, it eventually opened up into a Metroid-Vania. The music is one of my favorite OSTs ever. Spritework was masterfully designed and beautiful. Every single boss fight was memorable and fun. Not only does the game give you a challenge, but overcoming said challenge makes you feel amazing. I didn't ever really enjoy Metroid-Vanias, but this game opened my mind to the genere. The Messenger is on sale currently for $14 and is worth every penny. The story was great, the humor was hilarious and fun and fit right in to the mood. Re-exploring the levels when collecting the music notes were some of my favorite moments in gaming ever. Being able to show off my upgraded abilities and personal skill feels so rewarding. I would recommend this game to anyone that wants a fun 20 hour game for a great price. I loved the ending and can't wait for the DLC to come this year.

is cool